“Climate change is the environmental challenge of this generation, and it is imperative that we act before it’s too late.”
The Transportation sector includes the movement of people and goods by cars, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes, and other vehicles. Transportation in the United States is responsible for up to 29% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Action Plan strategies that cities can implement fall into four primary categories:
Example - leading by example by implementing strategies on municipally owned facilities and operations.
Advocate - advocacy actions working for change in State and Federal policies as well as advocating for change within their own community through education and awareness campaigns.
Incentivize - these are actions the city can take to incentivize action in the private sector - these can include direct economic incentives as well as actions which remove barriers or make climate action efforts easier for businesses and individuals.
Require - actions which implement policies or ordinances which require the private sector to comply. Examples include requiring energy efficiency and renewable energy within PUD ordinance or the adoption of an energy benchmarking ordinance.
Cities and individuals can significantly reduce Transportation GHG emissions through a number of ways:
Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles (EV) eliminate the use of liquid fossil fuels entirely. Depending on the source of electricity used to charge the vehicle, EV’s can reduce travel emissions by 70% (US average electric grid mix) to 100% if the electric source is a renewable energy like wind or solar.
Public Transit
Increased use of public transit systems can significantly reduce the number of vehicles on the road and the total number of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Rail travel can reduce emissions by 45% to 58%, bus travel can reduce emissions by up to 85%,
Fuel Switching
Using alternative fuel sources that emit less CO2 like biofuels or hydrogen can make a significant reduction to transportation emissions.
Fuel Efficiency
Optimal driving techniques can also help you cut emissions and save money in a gasoline-powered car. Avoiding hard acceleration and braking can reduce GHG emissions by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Reduction
There are a range of strategies to reduce community-wide vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Explore some examples here.
Find specific strategies with paleBLUEdot’s ACTION Finder Climate Action Database.